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Quick LinksMusic Is the Most Important Part of MacrossMecha Anime and Idol Groups are Huge International HitsHow Macross Can Use Music to Further Separate Itself from Gundam

In the annals of mecha anime history, Macross has stood tall as one of the genre's biggest brands ever since the franchise's 1980s debut. While Macross might be second to the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, the series also carves a much different path within the genre. This is mainly due to the musical aspects of the anime, which are now more pivotal than ever.

Macross' most unique element is combining music with mecha, reflecting the different musical trends throughout Japan. While this might have been offputting in the past, the growth of Asian musical idols around the world has actually made this more marketable. When combined with the mecha genre going through something of a resurgence itself, this can help the next Macross...

It has now been roughly 40 years since the legendary mecha anime film, Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984), made its theatrical debut in Japan. To celebrate this significant milestone, the original Macross production team reunited to create a stunning 4K remaster of the movie, providing an exhilarating new viewing experience for long-time fans.

In a recent interview conducted by Mantan Web, Macross director Shoji Kawamori and several other staff members shared new details about the upcoming remaster, which utilizes new technology to emphasize the beauty of Macross's original art while also retroactively delivering Kawamori's true artistic vision. "After 40 years, I can finally deliver the visuals I had in mind back then," he explained. "With this 4K remaster, I was amazed at how precisely in focus even the scenes that I felt were a bit off were...you can see the finer details, and the sense of realism has been enhanced.

Mechas like Gundam and Gurren Lagann redefine anime with immersive world-building and plot development. Variable Fighters in Macross and Silhouette Knights in Knight's & Magic excel at intergalactic battles and transformative designs. Mechas in Code Geass and Evangelion enhance narrative depth with knightmare frames and biological features, setting new standards in design.

The best mech designs in anime history will do more than just look cool but will play significant roles in world-building, plot development, and more. The best designs are revolutionary, and reconstruct the meaning of the mecha genre in the modern medium, whether it is through lore, history, special devices, or something completely different.

Mecha is a genre that has often been considered niche, but with popular series like Gundam, Gurren Lagann, and even Code Geass setting the scene in the new millennium, the genre has brought the art of piloting giant robots to even greater audiences. Everything began...

While Japanese anime has been around since the early twentieth century, 1980s anime represents the Golden Age for anime in the West. Indeed, it was during that decade when anime experienced a significant increase in popularity in the United States. With no established set of anime fandoms, the anime that "came over" ran the gamut of what was available in Japan, from saccharin-sweet romance to ultra-violent war stories.

Naturally, a lot of the anime that made it to the West wasn't able to make the transition into American culture, and soon ended up in the cultural wastebasket. However, other series or movies were able to find their voice and become beloved classics - sometimes even more than in Japan. Below is a list of 10 1980s anime that not only found their voice but have proven to be as fun and enjoyable to watch now as they were three decades ago.

Fans of the Macross franchise have something new to look forward to, as there's a brand-new anime on its way. Announced at the end of the recent Macross concert series, the details of this anime are still mostly unknown, though it will ironically be produced by Sunrise, the studio behind a notable rival of Macross. While things are still tightly under wraps, there are two elements of the story that will need to be properly balanced.

Macross has always been a sort of mix between mecha and idol anime, with the latter being integral to the plot in many ways. Sadly, as the mecha genre has decreased in popularity, the idol aspects have taken over the franchise. The new series would be wise to correct this imbalance, especially with how Gundam has become a mainstream series again. Here's how and why the series should move away from such a "deculture" change.

“Super Dimension Fortress Macross” created by Studio Nue, is another huge anime franchise from Japan, which has been popular since the first series aired in 1981. Also known as “Macross” and “Robotech” in its international version, it consists of four TV series, four movies, six OVAs, one light novel, and five manga series, all sponsored by Big West Advertising, in addition to 40 video games set in the Macross universe, two crossover games, and a wide variety of physical merchandise. Furthermore, it created one of the first anime idols Lynn Minmay, turning her voice actress Mari Iijima into an instant celebrity, and launching her musical career.

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In 1999, a city-sized alien spacecraft crashes in South Ataria Island on Earth. Over the course of 10 years, the military organization U.N. Spacy reverse-engineers its technology and rebuilds the spacecraft, naming it the Sdf-1 Macross.

In the upcoming weeks a large convention known as Animazement is coming to Raleigh, North Carolina. From Thursday May 26 at 6 p.m. to Sunday May 28 at 5 p.m. Animazement will be at the Raleigh Convention Center. This particular convention has been around since 1997, when they originated by hosting a 36-hour anime marathon. Since then, the convention has grown and developed into a large event which celebrates Japanese visual culture. The convention tends to attract an array of cosplayers from numerous genres and fandoms such as Kill la Kill, Bleach, Rwby, and Attack on Titan amongst countless others.

As the name suggests, Animazement has a strong focus on anime. Anime is a style of Japanese film and television animation which can be intended for children, adults, or both. The convention is run by a collection of fans, and volunteers as well as there being organized events, and panels throughout all four days.